Not A Cloud in the Sky
by Harp Strumming Choirboy
Summary: There wasn't a cloud in the overly-cheery sky, those days. But, somewhere, Edward Elric found this fitting.


**_not a cloud in the sky_**

_"There wasn't a single cloud hovering in the sky, yet- somewhere, Edward Elric found this fitting."_

_Rated: _T - _for language and because that's the rating Anatidae gives everything._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I never have. I never will. I never had any participation in the making of FMA. I don't even know any of the voice-actors, let alone the maker. I'm not being paid to do this, either. Though- I wish I was._

"Well… What the hell am I supposed to do now?" I asked myself, frowning deeply up at the cloudless sky above me. I let my fingers curl into fists on either side of me as I laid on my back beneath the somewhat humorous cheer of the sun's shine among the beautiful green fields of Resembool's mid-day.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I rolled over and pushed myself into a sitting position. I reached my arm out and let my flesh digits run over the engravings of my mother's name.

"Mom," I began, whispering, "I don't know what to do." I admited this, shaking my head. My fingers trembling against the hard stone of the year our lives went to shit, _1904._ I shook the thought away and leaned forward to where cool stone met warm earth. "I can't just tell him, or anyone else. Even if I could, how would I?" I gave a small huff as I held back a sob and clenched my teeth to try and kill the sting that poked at my tear ducts.

I gave a small huff of a laugh. "You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you, Mom?"

I felt my lip quiver before I bit down on it and shook my head. Trembling from head to mismatched toes. I inched forward to wrap my arms around the gravestone, pressing my forehead against the curved top.

"Mom," I mumbled, breaking my hold and giving up on being stubborn. I let out my shuddering sob, almost a cough, and let the tears flow smoothly down my cheeks to drop onto the earth around her tombstone. But it wasn't raining… No, there wasn't a damned cloud in the sky. Yet, somehow I found this fitting.

I'd forgotten what a relief crying was—the pent up stress melting away and your shoulders sagging and shaking in the relief from the non-existent weight. Yet I still hated it, hated the weakness, hated the feeling of giving up."I don't know… I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Mom!" I gasped, clinging to the grass as if it were her ever-present white apron.

My mind was running ten times faster then it normally does, thinking things through like the world as I knew it depended on my brain working this out.

"Mom," I started cautiously, speaking at a whisper to the unresponsive earth and stone. "do you think… if you could do it…" I set my mouth into a determined scowl as I got to my feet unsteadily but quickly. "if you can do it, Mom, then so can I!" I growled out, giving what felt like a sad grin. "only, I'll do it… I'll do it so he never does what we did!" I slapped a hand over the left of my chest, over my erratically beating heart. "I swear to you, Mom, that I will make this plan a definite success!" I gave a sharp nod and my best grin, the grin that she'd always claimed she lived half of her life for (the other half for Al's laugh, and the whole for Van Hohenheim's existence.) and marched away from the grave and out of the graveyard.

**.**

'_be careful, my little man.'_

**.**

"Brother! Why were you gone so long? It's been three hours! Mei's here! We just went to pick her up from the station!"

My heart broke.

"You sound awe-fully excited!~" I purred smugly. "You'd better hook up with her now, before she leaves—She's kinda cute, she'll get snatched up before you know it if you don't act now!~"

Al sputtered, taking on a shocked and blushing expression. "W-what about you and Winry?" He pointed an accusing finger. "She's getting prettier by the second! She's _already_ got men practically bowing at her feet!"

My eyes physically widened. I hadn't even _thought_ about Winry…

I swallowed loudly and adverted my eyes to the ground. Concentrating on keeping the tears from flowing again. If I cry, that'd be a dead give away. I took a deep breath.

"No need to be _shy_ brother! It's _obvious_ you like eachother!"

I straightened to my full height, giving the biggest grin I could muster. "Oh, it's too late for me, Al. I just hope she ends up happy!" I paused long enough for Al to sputter out a: "What do you—" before I broke him off, speaking loudly over him. "I'm going to go upstairs, there's this book I've been _dying_ to read!"

I gave my little brother a playful slap on the shoulder as I raced across the living room and down the hall before shooting up the stairs, calling over my shoulder. "Call me when dinner's done! Welcome home, Mei, nice to see ya!"

**. O n e Y e a r L a t e r .**

"_Fuhrer Mustang."_

"Hey, bastard, what's up?"

"_Fullmetal-?"_

"Finally made it to the top, eh? Guess I'll have to hand you back your 500 cens pretty soon, then!"

"_It was 520 cens, and why don't you just keep it if you're going to borrow more for… what was it, Democracy?"_

I sighed. "'fraid there's been a change of plans, Horsy," I leaned back against my chair, cocking my head into the phone.

A pause. _"Why?"_

"Why what?" I hummed innocently.

"_Why the change of plans?"_ there was a slight panic in his tone. _"What happened, Fullmetal?"_

"Don't call me that," I whined, "nothing's _happened_, bastard." I ran on without a response. "Did you know that Al and Mei are getting married? It's this afternoon—so I'd round up Riza, Jean, Breda, Kain, and Falman—along with Sheska and their twerps, of course, and hop on a fucking train!" I gave a small chuckle.

"_Edward, don't avoid me."_

"Persistent bastard, ain'tcha?"

"_Ed!"_

I sighed. "Just come… alright? Now… I'll tell you… after the ceremony."

Mustang reluctantly accepted that and agreed to bring everyone before hanging up.

I sighed and shook my head, getting to my feet and straightening out the suit Winry had insisted I spend _all day_ in.

**. L a t e r t h a t A f t e r n o o n .**

"Alright," Mustang growled, dragging me across the grassy field and planting me on a stone before taking a seat on the one positioned conveniently across from it. "tell me what the fuck is wrong. You're stubborn as fuck and always keep your word. There is no '_change of plans, Horsy_'!"

I sighed. "Are you sure you want to be the first to know?"

"Yes, I've waited long enough, damnit!"

I shrugged and looked over toward the people gathered together, Mei smiling brightly and clinging to Al as they posed for wedding pictures. Winry happily inspecting Riza's swollen belly. "Happy, isn't it?" I commented softly, sadly. Hell, even I could hear it.

"Ed, stop avoiding the fucking subject!" The Fuhrer snapped, grabbing my chin and jerking my head back in his direction, I swayed slightly, dizzy at the sudden turn. I swatted his hand away weakly with a growl.

"Alright, alright… do you like bad news funny?" I inquired.

"Ed just get to the damn point!"

I sighed scratching my head. "Just say 'Goodbye' before you leave, alright?" I frowned deeply and ran a hand through my bangs. "Mustang… I'm dead."

The raven-haired alchemist froze for a moment before looking positively furious, he stood quickly and socked me in the jaw. I bowled over to the right and landed face-first in the wild-grass, turning over slowly I rose a hand to clutch my jaw. "What?"

"Stop toying with me, Elric, now what's going on?" He shouted, I heard the noise from the after-wedding stop as everyone turned to see what was going on.

"I already told you…" I kept my voice low. "I'm dying, Roy."

"You're over exaggerating! Seriously, Ed!"

"Roy, I'm… I'm just like my Mom was," I fumbled on the ground slightly before sighing and flopping onto my back with a slightly hoarse chuckle. "I'm so fucking weak I can't even get up…" I rolled my eyes to focus back on my former superior officer, he looked like he didn't know what to do. Shocked, somewhat… depressed. "Hm, somehow I thought you'd hit like a girl…" I stroked my thumb against the spot on my jaw that was already swelling. I heard a few feet traveling our way. "That hurt, Mustang, seriously." I chuckled again, sighing for the hundredth time already.

"What's going on over here?" Riza growled as she came to stand by us, back into 'I'll shoot you' mode.

"Ed's-!"

I cut him off before he could say anything. "I'm just being an ass again, I guess I hit a sore-spot…" I shot Mustang a glare, holding my hand up. "Now you have to help me up!" I demanded.

The Fuhrer glanced between me and Riza, his hand reaching out to grab mine… it was shaking.

He pulled me up and I bobbed my head in a nod, smirking. "Thank you—Fuhrer President Bastard, _sir."_

Riza growled and turned on her heel. "Don't make him too angry, Ed." She seemed to be smirking behind her words. "He doesn't need anymore stress, he's got a democracy to set up."

"Yes, Ma'am~" As she walked away, I hummed. "Oh, yeah." I dug into my pocket as I turned toward Mustang slowly, holding out my hand I dropped the coins in his. "Five hundred and twenty cens for becoming Fuhrer and an extra twenty for knocking Hawkeye up." I smirked.

"Ed… are you… you're not just screwing with me, are you?"

I sighed. "'fraid not…" I paused. "don't have them put 'Fullmetal' on my tombstone, please. No '_Hero of the People' _either. I just… I don't know who I want to be… you can put: '_That fuck-up'_, if you want, though." My head snapped toward him, I swayed again slightly but held my balance. "_and __**nothing**__ will refer to my height._"

Roy gave a half-hearted chuckle. "How… how long do you think you have?"

I shrugged. "Considering the fact that I can hardly keep my balance right now, and I'm trying my damnedist not to pass out right here… I'd say I have overnight to die. We can say that's one of the reasons everyone's here. I've already given a casual goodbye to every person over there. I think they were a bit confused when I randomly came up and said: 'Goodbye, just wanted to say that'. But they said it back—so I think I'm all good on making sure no one cries pathetically in front of a fucking tombstone: 'I never got to say goodbye! Oh woe is me!' sob, sob, sob—Cry more, would'ja?" I huffed, my voice cracked somewhere in the last sentence—alright, not somewhere in the last sentence, multiple times in the entire speech.

Roy stared down at me, somewhat quiet.

I frowned. "You aren't going to cry, are you?"

"… I might."

My eyes widened. "Really? The great Flame Alchemist, Fuhrer of the country, crying over one boy (I refused to say little) who waltzed into his office and started demanding information on the Philosopher's stone? Your subordinate, no less?"

"No," Roy huffed. "I might be crying over one of my strongest subordinates, maybe one of my best friends, and someone who I think of as a non-biological son or younger brother…"

I sighed and nodded, casting my eyes downward. "Want a hug?"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist asking the Fuhrer of Amestris for a hug? I didn't take you for the cuddly type."

"Yeah, well, you also didn't believe that I'm dying, so what? Come here and give me a fucking hug, jackass."

**. 2 7 . M a r . 1 9 2 2 .**

_Edward Elric_

_1899 – 1922_

_He wanted to be known as 'That Fuck-up'._

_He didn't want to be known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, or The Hero of the People, or anything close to short—so lets just call him The People's Alchemist, whom happened to be of a quite diminutive stature. He was a brave, determined man with a strong heart, and he will be missed by many._

A letter had been left, it was in Edward's loopy, somewhat sloppy yet elegant handwriting.

_Alphonse,_

_I'm not sorry that I didn't tell you a year ago, when I should have, I'm not sorry one bit._

_I didn't want you wasting more time trying to find me a cure. We'll just believe that there isn't one. It'll only hurt more, if we found one. I'm pretty sure I had whatever Mom did._

_What I did want was for you and Mei to get married, and start a family. A big, happy family with kids that had what we didn't—a dad and a mom looking after them._

_But I am sorry for what happened to you eight years ago, and how you spent those six years of your life. But I'm happy that you're back how you should be—and I'm glad you're with Mei—she really is a cute girl, and you guys are meant for eachother. She was looking for a prince, and she __also__ got a knight in a suit of armor—make her happy, little brother._

_Tell Winry that I love her, and I'm sorry. Find her a nice guy, Al, a trustworthy guy—okay?_

_Borrow 520 cens from the bastard and don't give it back until this country's a democracy.—_

Five hundred and twenty cens lay on the letter, pinning it to the earth among the flowers.

_This letter is also gonna say that I want all of my belongings to go to you—Al. Lets also tack in that I want my Automail taken off and given to Winry—It'll only rust, six feet under._

_Al. Please don't do what we did twelve years ago._

_Mei's worth more then some fuck-up who almost killed his mom a second time, and succeeded in killing his brother for what turned out to be no reason—then tried (though he succeeded) to fix it._

_My timing was perfect, actually. You have a family to look after now, Alphonse Elric, and you're going to. I'll never forgive you if you don't. Don't be the father we had—Brother. Be the father you, and Elysia never had. Be the father you and Nina deserved._

_Be there for them—okay?_

_Ed_

_There wasn't a cloud in the sky the day he found out._

_There wasn't a cloud in the sky the day he told Mustang his fate._

_There wasn't a cloud in the sky the day of his funeral._

_And somewhere, Edward Elric found this fitting._

* * *

_A / N: So. Fucking. Proud. Of. My. Self._

_Holy fuck._

_I got the inspiration when I was reading 'The Deathday Letter' by Shaun Hutchinson. I highly recommend it. It's a already-spoiled fact that the main character croaks in the end, but it's fucking HILARIOUS. Unlike that, up there._


End file.
